I’m going to use this week as a sort of control. I’m going to record my current diet and exercises to get a better idea of where I am and where I require improvement. I will be tracking my progress via MyFitnessPal and IG (selfcarediaries and selfcare_diaries respectively).

*It’s important to note that I do have a big family BBQ this Saturday the 19th, so that may affect my results slightly, but I will treat that as a fast food/take out meal, which often happens during the week anyway.

So I mentioned that I would do things a little differently this time around. Instead of crash diets or boot camp challenges that expect you to quit bad habits cold turkey, I will slowly introduce new habits week to week that will gradually lead to my overall goal.

Instead of making my goal dropping 30lbs as quickly as possible, I am going to focus on dedicating a full year to better lifestyle choices. I’m going to take the time week to week to address a specific issue or issues. Let’s start with diet.

So, originally I looked at extreme diets like the 28 Day Blogilates Challenge. I failed before I began. I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to make drastic changes like that to my diet, especially without consulting a doctor. It honestly could just cause me to binge eat. I’m not saying it’s a bad idea. I actually think it’s a great idea to cleanse your system of processed foods and sugars. However I believe in order to be successful, I need to work up to it gradually so that my body (and also so my personal recipes) can actually adjust. I found when I tried to quit chocolate a few months back, I gave up after only six days. I spent the entire time thinking about chocolate until eventually I just caved. I want better results this time. Often times when we try to get rid of bad habits, we forget that we also need to replace those old habits with better, healthier ones. When you deprive yourself of something like chocolate, you just end up thinking about what you can’t have. But, if you find an alternative (either a healthier version of my favourite things, or something new entirely), there is a much better chance of success.

I haven't updated in a while. I'll, be honest, I lost motivation for some time. I wasn't sticking to my meal plan or my workouts, I gained a pound, I stress ate, procrastinated on important life decisions. Yeah. I messed up. But the important thing is to get back on track. Stay focussed. Remember to prioritize all my goals.

I am also going to try to approach them from a different angle this time. So hopefully I am able to see more results and fewer relapses. I'm ready!

I’m leaving my weekends as wild cards for the most part because there is more time to plan around those meals and also, too much structure can become a hindrance and a bore. The point of a meal plan is to be specific enough to keep me on track, but flexible and versatile enough to still have fun and enjoy meals.

I may choose to move things around as I go, as I learn what works best for me in relation to my workout schedule.

(If you would like to keep up with my day-to-day stats, you can follow my instagram @selfcare_diaries).